Chapter Text
Sugar. Butter. Flour.
Leo mixed the ingredients together until it was just how he wanted, adding touches of spices and other embellishments here and there. The dough was pliable and soft beneath his fingers, a feeling as familiar as the sweet voice of his mama singing him to sleep as a child. Baking had always been the one thing able to calm him down, and today was no exception.
He brushed the remnants of flour off his hands as he placed the last pie from the oven, setting the timer before leaning against the counter with a sigh. Mornings, although he truly loved baking, could get tiring. It was always a relief when the last pie was finally finished. Of course it did mean the diner would soon be open and opening meant customers to deal with.
“Leo!” a familiar voice called out, and he smiled despite himself. Curly hair appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, accompanied by green eyes and a soft smile. “You nearly ready?”
“Yeah Lo, last pie is cooling now. As soon as the timer goes off, I’ll be out.” Logan shot him a thumbs up and disappeared back into the diner, presumably to greet the customers that had just entered, judging from the faint ringing of a bell Leo could hear, followed by voices.
A few minutes later, the timer went off and Leo quickly turned it off, pulling the pie out before heading out to the floor with the cart.
“Leo! What’s the special pie today!” Finn called from where he was writing out the specials board. Leo glanced over at him, his red hair a mess per usual.
“Uh, deep shit blueberry bacon,” Leo answered distractedly, placing the pies into the display case by the register.
“Deep shit ?”
“Yea- ah dish! Deep dish . Sorry, Finn.” Leo looked over at him sheepishly, and Finn smirked at him.
“Come on, Nut, where’s your head at today?”
“Just- I’m fine, it’s fine. I gotta-” He gestured back towards the kitchen where another timer was now going off.
Today was the same as every other day for Leo, Finn, and Logan. They went to work, Logan and Finn served customers, Leo worked in the kitchen, same thing each day. Nothing much changed, ever, in their small Southern town. Leo had grown up here, just a few miles away in the heart of New Orleans, taught to cook by his mama from before he could walk. Logan and Finn had both run from their own lives, reaching the ocean and realizing there was nowhere left to go. And here they still were, almost ten years later.
The days passed quickly and slowly all at once, weeks and months and years bleeding together until an insurmountable period of time passed and it had become all they’d ever known.
As Leo prepped and cooked and baked, the smells of bacon and eggs and toast filled the air. Normally, he didn’t mind them much, was comforted by them actually. Today was a different story. His stomach turned and he forced down the nausea, focusing instead on the dough in front of him. It worked for only a few moments however before he was rushing for the bathroom.
Finn and Logan stood outside the door when he came out, feeling little better. Logan held out a glass of water. Finn held out a box.
Leo groaned.
“Leo, time to pee on a stick!” he announced grimly.
Leo just sighed and leaned heavily against the sink, stomach still churning. “I don’t wanna know!”
“You just gotta do it,” Logan urged from Leo’s other side. “It’s been long enough, come on.”
“It’ll be better to know for sure either way, won’t it?”
“And we’ll be right here with you.”
Leo just looked at them darkly. He accepted the glass from Logan finally and took a small sip, grimacing as he swallowed.
Finn glanced at him sympathetically. “It’s just a little test! A simple stick and a line.”
“Just one of ‘em, if I’m lucky,” Leo grumbled under his breath, moving to grab a paper towel. He wet it and wiped at his sweaty brow.
“We’ll be right here, regardless of the result,” Finn said. “Just keep your focus on the negative.”
“Ugh how’d I ever get myself in this mess,” Leo sighed, reluctantly opening the box Finn handed him. “Just one drunk night and that stupid red dress.”
“Aww I love that red dress,” Finn sighed dreamily. “The way it sparkles, makes it look like an ice skating outfit.” Logan nudged him discreetly and he fell quiet. Leo didn’t seem to notice. He just shut the stall door behind himself with a clang.
“It’s going to be okay,” Logan reassured him firmly, but it did nothing to calm the pounding of his heart.
“Funny how one night can ruin your whole life.”
Finn’s eyes widened as he looked at Logan. He called through the door, “Don’t panic, we don’t even know what the test says!”
“I’m already panicked!”
“Just calm down!”
“Maybe it’ll all be fine,” Logan added, “you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“Please, God, just one line,” Leo prayed.
“I thought you don’t sleep much with your husband anymore?” Finn mused as they heard the toilet flush.
Leo sighed and appeared once more. “Well, he got me drunk. I make stupid decisions when I’m drunk. Like sleep with my husband.” He began washing his hands, staring at his gaunt reflection in the bathroom mirror.
“Just focus on the negative!” Logan urged.
“It was only one night.”
“God, someone just send me a sign. Just one line, one line.”
Finn opened his mouth to reply but just then the timer went off. All three stared at it. No one moved.
“That means the test is ready,” Logan said hesitantly.
Leo heaved a sigh. “This is it.”
With shaking hands, he looked down at the stick in his hand.
“ Shit. ”